Chapter 284: Night Parade of One Hundred Monsters

One hundred warriors headed towards the cursed land. Nearly twenty others were left behind to guard the village. When asked why there were one hundred, Victor replied,

“It’s easy to count, isn’t it?”

Realizing immediately that this explanation sounded foolish, he added,

“In this battle, it’s important to keep track of our comrades. We can’t have them saying, ‘The bodies were left unattended and got infected without us noticing,’ that wouldn’t be funny.”

“We can’t afford to do roll calls or point and confirm one by one either.”

Gerhardt agreed, which seemed to please Victor even more, as he continued loudly,

“Right? Organizing them into squads of ten makes it easier to see at a glance.”

“Unless the entire squad has been wiped out.”

“Hahaha! You’re a real pain, old man.”

Seemingly, Gerhardt and Victor had become quite friendly since their fistfight last night. They discussed tactics, exchanged jokes, and indulged in tales of combat.

Guided by a former member of the Thirteen Knights, they emerged from the forest into a desolate land filled with rocks. Sensing the impending battle that seemed to scorch their skin, everyone fell silent.

“So orcs can survive in such a harsh environment.”

When Lutz remarked, Gerhardt replied, stroking his chin,

“Orcs were originally humans like us. Some theories suggest that they adapted to survive in harsh environments.”

“That’s absurd… Well, maybe not. Um, I don’t know.”

“Hmm, not one to just laugh it off. Whenever I talk about this, people always treat me like I’m a crazy old man.”

“I don’t want to admit it either, but when you think about it, there are many similarities between humans and orcs.”

Thinking about it without starting from a negative point of view was a great quality of this young man. Gerhardt nodded and urged him on.

“Tell me, what do we have in common?”

“They can stand on two legs, are dexterous and use tools, and communicate through words. That’s about it.”

“I see, I see, there are no dogs that will hit you with a stick. There are no cats that you can talk to either. Orcs are a bit too different to be called monsters.”

“More like humans?”

“No, it’s more that orcs are similar to humans. When you think about the differences between us, it’s just skin color, size, protruding teeth, and things like that. Within the range of personality and physique.”

“Oh, so that enormity is just a physique…”

“Exactly. This is something Lutz and I came up with while talking, but could those mushrooms have been cursed to kill only humans?”

“So, orcs might have just been caught up in it?”

“Behind this incident, there might be someone with malice, a monster, or maybe…”

He almost said ‘a god,’ but Gerhardt hesitated. It wouldn’t be good to say such things with knights serving the capital nearby.

“…Well, if there was someone with some kind of intention, maybe the orc infection was irregular for them.”

With an adventurer’s eye, Gerhardt fell silent. When he got like this, Lutz knew not to disturb him and looked ahead.

In the distance, rising sand dust and faint vibrations underfoot. Victor stopped, drew his “Raging Blade” from his waist, and the knights followed suit.

When Victor waved his hand, squads of ten spread out in a fan shape. They adjusted their formation and waited silently as the sounds and vibrations grew louder.

Soon, a group of orcs came into view. Even from a distance, their already massive bodies seemed to have enlarged. They advanced as a massive group, and despite the distance, an immense pressure could be felt.

“Hey, gods above, could you cut us some slack…”

Victor joked with a dry throat from nervousness. If he didn’t, even a man like him might have been trembling with fear.

From a distance, about fifty colossal orcs could be seen. Each one charging seemed like a nightmare, even too cruel to call it hellish.

No matter what, the number was too great, but upon closer examination, it was a plausible scenario. Even the nearby village had two hundred inhabitants, and if all of them were infected by the orc settlement, this could happen.

Victor’s wild imagination cursed his own lack of awareness, but there was no time to groan and lament.

“Spread out! We’ll hit them from the sides!”

Victor’s thunderous command snapped the knights back to reality, and they began to move. If they hadn’t been scolded, they might have remained rooted to the spot and been slaughtered.

Confronting them head-on would be reckless, like trying to stop an oncoming train.

The knights split left and right, and the monsters ran through the gaps like digging through the ground.

“All right, charge in!”

Encouraged by Victor’s command, the knights, forgetting their fear, rushed at the colossal orcs. However, about thirty of the orcs stopped and counterattacked, while the remaining twenty or so kept running.

“What the hell!?”

War and tactics are about doing what the opponent hates the most. What Victor and the others least wanted was for the sparsely guarded village to be attacked.

It wasn’t clear how much the colossal orcs were thinking. Perhaps they were just running without any thought. Either way, they couldn’t be left alone.

Hopeful speculation like “there’s no way that could happen” on the battlefield is meant to be betrayed. They are heading towards the village.

“Squads six through ten, pursue them!”

The squad leaders swallowed their words before saying “but.” Should they split their forces here? It might be better to surround and defeat the thirty orcs with the hundred men, then chase the rest. There was no time to discuss such matters.

They might not know about the other knight orders in the capital, but they belonged to the Fourth Knight Order. Victor wouldn’t allow abandoning the villagers to be used as bait. Above all, their pride wouldn’t allow it.

Fifty knights and their attendants dashed after the colossal orcs.

“Victor-sama, what about us!?”

When Lutz shouted, Victor quickly glanced left and right. His hesitation lasted only a moment.

“The second squad, head to the village! If something happens, it’ll be there!”

“Understood!”

Suppressing all doubts, the second squad also set off.

Lutz, Gerhardt, Josel, Keith, and six former members of the Thirteen Knights. If there were any weaknesses or a way to turn the tide, it would be at the enemy’s stronghold. And the three who wielded magic swords were capable of adapting to any situation.

There was hesitation in entrusting the most important task to outsiders. But right now, victory took precedence over petty pride, and they should be able to achieve it.

“Counting on you, Lutz, Gerhardt.”

Victor tightened his grip on his Raging Blade and charged towards the roaring colossal orc slashing at it.

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